Finding Cloe
by Beaner-Bop
Summary: There are good children, and there are bad children. Good children can work and play. Bad can work and work and be punished. CloeVed.
1. Prologue

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

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A/N: First Tribe story I'm posting on FF.Net. I actually have others at but... might as well get this one up.

TAKES PLACE END OF SEASON 4!

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Disclaimer: Duh.

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Prologue

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He breathed slowly as he left Ram's room. He felt little pride at the fact he was able to wake the boy (man?) up.

He shook his head again, trying to clear it. A walk through Ram's mind was something he would wish on no one – everything that was in there… The most recent things after the epidemic were the clearest, but there was more.

_'So many ghosts.'_ He thought to himself silently. He stumbled into his room and went straight for his bed. Once he was lying on it he tried to remember what it was, something he grabbed onto before leaving Ram's mind – but what was it? It had to do with Cloe…

Sleep was beginning to grab at him and he got more frustrated with the fact that he couldn't remember what it was.

Just as he began to give in to sleep, the thought passed through his mind.

_Ram doesn't have Cloe._

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A/N: My chapters are going to be longer than this, just to let you know – lol. Ugh. I gotta get going, shoot.

Beaner-Bop


	2. Starting A Journey

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

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A/N: Longer chapter – as promised!

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Disclaimer: No own.

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Chapter One: Starting a Journey

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It was raining hard and the water was freezing. It was the type of weather that you should stay inside for and stay next to the heater or a fireplace. Even so, there was one person out and with only a Techno jacket on – which in itself was completely soaked through. The figure didn't seem to notice any of this though. He had a back pack hauled up onto his shoulder and a preoccupied look on his face.

Ved.

He left without a trace, or at least he hoped so, about three months ago from the Techno Headquarters. He left everything behind, including the marks, back there, being one of the few that knew of the tracers that were in them.

He let his mind wander and wondered if Jay knew about that. Not, that he thought to himself, that it mattered, because from what he could tell, Ram pretty much forgot about them.

He didn't though. And he wasn't going to run the risk of Ram remembering. He knew there was a chance of it being in the jacket but he made sure there wasn't and if there was he made sure that he did everything in his power to jar the signal so they wouldn't be able to work again.

So far, so good.

At the beginning it was slow, not to mention he had to get used to normal clothes again. He grabbed a few black t-shirts and some jeans, hoping that that would be all that he needed. He felt so good, knowing he could finally start his 'quest'.

Finding Cloe.

But after a month and a half of nothing, his sprits began to drift. Sure, he knew that his chances of actually finding her were slim, but the thing was – the chance was there. However, at that time it wasn't taunting him as much as it was now.

Ved brought his hand up to his now blank forehead and rubbed it lightly, trying to release some of the tension that was building up. The rain pounding down on him didn't help much.

He saw an abandoned house nearby and began to run to it.

He probably would've stopped now, if it hadn't been for that one 'loner' tribe he had met a while back. He didn't know they were there, and luckily for him, while they head of the Technos, they didn't really know who they were.

Which means they didn't know him.

He asked them what he's asked the tribe that sent him here.

"Have you seen a dark haired girl…" and keep describing her. That last tribe really got him angry. Told him they saw her, but didn't talk to her, didn't offer her anything, didn't help her. And why? Because she was 'strange', 'different'.

How was she oh, so strange and different?

She talked to herself.

Really, who was sane anymore?

And anyway, they told him, why should they go to her, when she wouldn't go to them?

Somehow he was able to get led to this tribe, and was able to keep in his anger long enough so that he could ask how long his walk was going to be.

A rarity from him.

This tribe was better though. Nicer, cleaner, saner.

This tribe did talk to her, they gave her some food, clothes, said she only talked to herself when she was alone. When she did talk to herself, it was about some cyberspace or some 'Ved' most of the time.

He found her – sort of.

They told him one though that one morning that they woke up and Cloe was gone.

"What happened?" Ved asked. The tribe was called 'Leadai' (singular, it was 'Lead') and the leader of it was Ben answered him.

"There are few paths leading to and from our village. The one you came on, the one to the lake, another, the pastures and the stable. We showed them to her as we have you, but there is one more path. He pointed towards the end of the small village that wasn't lived in. Ved had wondered why but never asked. "We never walk it, many people have gone up there and they never return." Ved found out early on that Ben was a strange mixture of superstition nut and very literal and straightforward person.

"Are you telling me there's like, a monster out there or something?" Ved asked him. Ben just shook his head.

"I'm telling you there's SOMETHING out there." He went silent for a while, "No one who goes up there ever comes back down, even the 'rescue parties'. There's no word from them – they are literally and completely gone. We've even sent people up with weapons – nothing." He looked at Ved closely, "I doubt I can talk you into staying here, eh?" Ved nodded.

"I need to find her."

"I thought as much." He was silent for a while again, "There was something that always scared me about that path, the hill, all of it. There was this old lady who lived on the top of it – before the epidemic." Ved got ready to be told a story and it was a good thing he did. "She…thought I and quite a few others were 'bad' kids. She'd tell us this, she'd slap, she'd make our lives crap, she was the mean lady next door, you know? But then there were the 'good' kids. My older brother was one of them. She helped buy his way into college and paid half of his car – and told him not to pay her back, just be willing to do a few small favors every now and then – and they were small, like picking up her paper or buying her groceries. He never had to do much for his life like I did." He took in a deep breath. "I remember this one time, my brother and I were at the store and it was one of the rare times she was shopping herself. She spat on me, literally SPAT on me, and what did my brother say? I deserved it. She completely brainwashed him." Ved knew the last part had nothing to do with what he wanted to know but he nodded anyway.

And that was basically the end of his information Ved got.

He had some food and extra clothing and a blanket and then left himself, following the path where Ben said Cloe probably was.

From memory, Ben told him the way was a lot longer than it looked. A few hours by car. He wasn't kidding. He'd been traveling on foot for three day and he still he felt no closer than before.

Ved tried to distract himself and began looking around the 'house'. It was actually a shed with a laptop and a phone in it. He wondered why it was here and then shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

He dropped his bag onto the floor, put his head on it, and went to sleep.

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A/N: Much longer than the prologue!

Beaner-Bop


	3. Fairy Tale Houses

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

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A/N: Hehe, been a while since I updated.

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything…I live in the US…I only own my laptop and CD player…and I ain't giving them away for the world!

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Chapter Two: Fairy Tale Houses

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It was a very large house.

That was the first thing that Ved realized when made it. Very big, it was like something out of a movie he saw when he was a lot younger - even before the epidemic. The grass was lush, green, and thick, with 'propeller birds' and brightly colored small whirly jigs 1. He was walking up a cement path up to the door. All the windows were shut up tight and all had thick curtains.

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Hiding what's going on inside that house… Ved thought to himself. Suddenly, he got a pain in his gut, and he found himself wishing he had thought this through a little bit more.

"What am I going to do? Walk right up and knock?" He asked himself. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned around, grabbed the persons wrist and wrapped it behind their back tightly. The whimper that came from the person was enough to begin Ved to stop his attack on the poor person.

He loosened his grip and the person turned around. It was a girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. Ved swallowed and tried to find an excuse that was plausible for him attacking her.

"I-I'm so sorry.." He stuttered out. Much to his surprise she brought her hand up, shook her head, and grinned at him.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I really shouldn't have snuck up on you…it's a _bad _thing to do to people." She looked at the house and back to him, suddenly worry taking over her happy face. "Um…I hope you don't mind, but I was wondering if you could keep that quiet? That I snuck up on you? I really didn't mean to! I promise!" Ved nodded his head numbly.

"Sure…I won't mention it." He said, confused. She nodded and grinned at him happily. She began to nod her head quickly.

"Thank you so much - and…where are my manners! Come in! Come in! We've been expecting you." While Ved was still in some sort of shock, that last she said to him were able to penetrate his mind.

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What do they mean, 'expecting' me?

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The place seemed even larger on the inside than the outside. It was larger than any mansion Ved had seen. The girl went and talked to someone once he came in and then she led him to his room. That was, to say the least, interesting.

She led him to a large room, but very plain looking. It had a hammock and a large looking bed.

She told him they've been waiting for someone like him to come for 'ages'.

Ved just nodded.

She told him how in their home it was a first come first get basis but that the owner of the home could change things.

Ved couldn't help but roll his eyes at the 'owner' part. Who owned anything anymore? It was now more 'If you want it, hold onto it, or someone will grab it.' He mused though and decided it would be somewhat hard to 'grab' a home.

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'At least, I guess that's what this is.'

She told him his room mate was a girl, the last person to come here - Ved's eyes lit up at that but he didn't say anything about it.

"I guess I have the hammock, then?" He said, looking at the 'string bed'. The girl looked at him like he was insane.

"Oh no, oh no! You look like a good boy! You get the bed." She turned her back to him but then turned and nodded her head.

"Miss Tea will come and speak to you in an hours time. Until then…look around your room I guess. And remember - the bed it yours." She said the last part very seriously, confusing him.

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Did that really matter? He thought to himself.

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A/N: Moving right along…

1 - whirly jigs - those small multi colored wind mill…thingys.


	4. Not Beautiful

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

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A/N: La la la…

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Disclaimer: 'Allo!

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Chapter Three: Not Beautiful

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Ved heard a knock on the door and got up to answer it.

What was behind it was more shocking to him than seeing Ram wearing a dress with a pink wig…that was previously used and not sanitized in anyway.

It was a woman - an OLD woman.

She had a wrinkly face and gray hair. Ved's mouth imitated a fish's for a while before he just shut it and looked at her with wide eyes.

She smiled at him kindly before motioning them to the bed to sit. He did so quickly, having begun to feel the sudden sensation that it was time to fall now.

"How are you, Ved?" He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She smiled still, "Take your time."

"You're-You're old!" His eyes widened and he brought his hand up to slap it then kept it there. He looked at her nervously to see how she took the comment. Bringing his hand off his mouth he started apologizing profusely, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - I mean, I was just surprised, and I got lost, and-" He kept falling over his words but the woman just kept grinning at him kindly.

"That's perfectly alright, Ved, I understand. I'm probably the oldest person here." Ved took 'here' to mean 'everywhere'. "So, I'll ask again, as you have forgotten." He looked up at her, lost.

"Wha-"

"How are you?" Ved blushed and nodded.

"I'm - I'm fine, ma'am." She nodded.

"Good, good. That's very good. Now," She looked at him closely, studying the still somewhat damp clothes he was wearing, "What's a boy like you, who clearly has a tribe that he belongs to, doing here?" Ved was about to answer truthfully but in his gut, he felt something beginning to burn. _Don't trust her!_ A voice came from inside his head, _do not trust her!_

Suddenly, he was assaulted with a memory of him and Jay in front of…Ram.

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"What are the two of you doing here?" Ram asked, leaning forward, interested in hearing. Jay answered though Ved desperately wanted too. He could scarcely believe what Ram was offering to him! Technology! Electricity! He could already feel the keyboard under his fingers - and what else was Ram offering?

Food, shelter, and protection.

"We heard you were looking for recruits." Ram nodded.

"I am. Are the two of you interested?" He asked. Ved nodded rapidly, and Ram sent him a smirk. He followed the instructions Jay had given him earlier - let Jay talk.

"Yes." Ram nodded again.

"Good…Do any of you have any experience with technology?" Jay shook his head and Ved looked up at him like he was nuts.

"What are you talking about, Jay? I'm the best programmer at school! I've already made-" Jay put his hand over Ved's mouth, smiling.

"Yeah, I know. I just forgot. I suppose I don't have that much of one, but you definitely do." He looked towards Ram again, "I suppose he does, but I don't." Ram nodded, a smile coming onto his face - genuine. Ved could feel himself trusting him.

It had been ages since he saw someone actually smile. Not even Jay smiled genuinely anymore. He couldn't stop the grin he had on his face from growing.

"Tell me Jay, do you have any hobbies? Any interests of certain topics?" Jay looked confused, as did Ved, but they both seemed to just mentally shrug it off.

"I like history most. When I was younger, I was always reading things on the world wars, not to mention the civil war that erupted in the country beside us-" Ram was nodding happily.

"You like reading about wars? Do you read facts of them? Do you know how the people then…did things?" Jay was looking more confused but Ved was beginning to see where this was going. Jay got a job here!

"You mean like, the orders and tactics and weapons for what?" He nodded. "Yeah, I studied all that."

"Excellent." Ram stated, "You're both in."

"My tribe…it was beginning to do things that…" She leaned forward, interested, "…that I didn't like. I had to leave." He finished.

"What were they doing?" He pondered how to answer this question. He could lie, and unlike his brother, he was good at it. What he said before wasn't a complete lie though, so maybe white lie to tie up the pieces…

"They…were hurting people…for no reason." He reasoned this was good enough. She nodded her head sadly.

"There seems to be a lot of that in the world these days, it's just terrible." She looked away. "I best get going now, must wash up for dinner, as do you. Do you know where your showers are?" He shook his head, and she pointed at a door that was somewhat hidden by the fireplace (it was on the fireplaces right side). "I hope you're comfortable here Ved." She said before getting up. "Good day." He nodded back to her kindly, standing to walk her to the door.

"Good day."

He was alone in the room for another half hour when he heard a nervous knock on the door. His back was to it, he was reading a book he found under his bed and was to captivated in it to even put it down when the other person came in. He turned the page, then put his fingers in between the pages to save his spot before turning around to see who it was.

He dropped the book.

Cloe.

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A/N: Kinda short, but oh well…


	5. Ugly

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

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A/N: Still writing.

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Disclaimer: HA!

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Chapter Four: Ugly

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Cloe's mouth opened as she stared at Ved. Her mouth looked like a fish's, opening and closing constantly. Ved got an impossibly happy looking smile on his face - one that Cloe didn't share with him.

"Cloe…" He whispered, walking to her slowly. She suddenly did something that hurt him like nothing had ever hurt him before. She ducked away from him. "Cloe, what's wrong? It's just me, Ved…" She shook her head 'no' sadly and continuously.

"No…not Ved. Ved's not here, he'll never be here." She whispered to herself softly, shaking her head, as though shaking it like that were going to get rid of him. Ved was suddenly very confused.

"Cloe, what is it? What is it, beautiful?" He asked her softly. She started to hug herself fiercely and started shaking her head harder, so much harder in fact, Ved was worried she was going to do some serious damage to herself. "Cloe, stop that, stop that." To his surprise she did just that, and was looking up at him with blurry eyes.

"What is it, Clo?" She sniffed.

"Not beautiful." She whispered to him. His eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? Of course you're-"

"-ugly."

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	6. Ugly Continued

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

A/N: Still writing.

Disclaimer: HA!

Chapter Four: Ugly

(Rest of it)

Dinner was what came next. Cloe was acting so weird…but Ved never had much of a chance to think about it. Everything here kept moving at such a fast pace he barely had time to do anything. The girl (Allison) that surprised him when he first came here was who came to get him. When the knock came on the door he watched as Cloe got a panicked looked on her face and went to answer the door before he had a chance to even move to it.

Allison walked in, completely ignored Cloe and smiled at him, handing him a formal white shirt and black pants with socks and black shoes. She smiled at him.

"You need to wear these to dinner." She handed them to him, then came up to him and kissed his cheek slowly, letting her lips linger.

He heard a slight whimper, slight growl from the other person in the room and stepped back, looking at Cloe guiltily.

To his surprise, Cloe wasn't looking at him, she was looking at Alli (what she told him to call her) with nothing short of hatred in her eyes.

Alli crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot as she looked at the girl.

"You still aren't trained yet, why the hell not? You've been with us for nearly over a month, and you still aren't broken." Alli sniffed. "You're not good enough to be used as a doormat - not fit to walk on." Ved stood rooted to where he was, hardly believing all the girl was saying to Cloe…Not even Ram had gone this far…at least not this far and had results.

She went over to Cloe and slapped her, sending the other girl reeling to the side, her to light body not able to take much force of the slap. Ved moved into action but Alli stopped him.

"Don't let your heart get in the way. It will only slow you down here." She told him before turning and smiling again. "Dinner is in an hour and a half. You might want to start getting presentable now." She leaned over and this time tried to get his lips but Ved turned just a little bit so she got his cheek again.

She pulled back, disappointed but smiled at him brightly again and waved.

"See you at dinner, Ved!" She turned and left the room, but before she did, she made a quick detour and kicked Cloe in the stomach, making the other girl sputter and cough in pain. Alli shook her head. "Serves you right." She said, before finally escorting herself out. The second she was out, Ved ran to Cloe and fell to his knees, softly turning her over and inspecting the spots he knew had to be hurting.

"God, Cloe, I'm so sorry - I don't know why I didn't stop her when I had the chance - the chances! I had more than one, I'm so sorry Cloe…" He told her over and over - Cloe never answered him but he kept talking to her anyway, needing to hear something so he didn't panic. Silence…that would have made it worse.

He touched her cheeks lightly before shaking his head. He picked her up under her knees and armpits and carried her to the bed. She began squirming away from him the second her back hit the mattress.

"Cloe, stop that…" He whispered, still looking at her face, trying to determine the damage of Alli's slaps. The girl shook her head and began whimpering something. He had to lean down to hear what it was.

"Not allowed, bed is good - strings to good for me, but Mistress was nice. I get string - no bed. Not good, I'm bad." She kept mumbling these things under her breath and Ved watched in horror as he saw Cloe begin to punish herself. She had somehow managed to get her head closer to the headboard and began hitting her head on it, harshly. Ved pulled her away from it and she shot him a glare but didn't try to hurt him in anyway. He blinked at her and then climbed onto the bed with her. He looked into her eyes and when she tried to look away, he captured her chin and forced her eyes to meet his.

"Cloe…whats happened?" He asked her. Cloe shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. She did drop them again though, but only to try and get away from Ved but he wouldn't let her. He held onto her more tightly, hugging her to his body, and resting his head in the crook of her neck. "What's wrong with this place, Cloe? What's happened?" He rubbed her back soothingly and Cloe tensed, something Ved didn't like feeling, but he didn't stop what he was doing, instead he felt the need to keep doing it. It continued for another half hour before Cloe let out a sob.

"You…you have to go g-get ready. You-You'll get in trouble if you don't take a bath before dinner." She told him silently. He shrugged.

"I'll just miss it." She looked up at him, alarmed.

"You can't. We-we'll both get in trouble!" She began to crawl off the bed, but this time Ved let her. She grabbed his clothes and put them on the bed quickly before opening the bathroom door and motioning to it.

"Hurry! You don't have much time!" Ved did as she told him and took a quick shower. He took a little longer than he should've though, the water easing all the days of travel that he had endured. He grimaced at the dirty water that was gathering at the bottom of the tub. Why didn't anyone tell him he looked like shit?  
He came out of the bath and toweled dry. He walked into the other room and looked at Cloe who was waiting for him patiently, something he was not used to seeing.

"Alright…" He said, wondering what to do. Cloe stood up and handed him a pair of boxers and the pants. He didn't tell her he usually put his socks on before his pants - he doubted it mattered.

"Put these on, you have to hurry!" He did as he was told, Cloe's back turned towards him. When he told her they were on she went over to him and did something he wasn't expecting. She had his white shirt in his hands and helped him slip into it…and started buttoning it for him. He watched her, slightly confused as she went from bottom up, buttoning him up to the top.

When she finished, he grabbed her shoulders before she could move away from him.

"Can I…" He swallowed. "Do you mind if I…get something from you that I…I've been missing?" He asked her, nervous. She looked up at him, genuinely confused.

"What could you have missed from me?" She asked him. Ved duck his head and kissed her soundly on the lips. When they parted, she looked bemused. "You…you liked it when I did that?" She asked him. Ved shook his head.  
"No…I loved it." One side of Ved's mouth went upwards at her confused look and shook his head, kissing her on the lips again. "Just like I l-" Before he could finish that sentence, Cloe put her hand on his chest and pushed away from him.

"You still aren't completely dressed." She whispered, turning to get the rest of his clothes.

And that was the last thing she said to him before pushing him out of the room when he finally got his shoes on.

Which it what brought him to where he was now - dinner.

A/N: Next chapter - dinner!

Beaner-Bop


	7. Dinner

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

A/N: READ THIS! à The book I have in here is not the title of a real book, or at least not that I'm aware of!

Disclaimer: If I owned this - it would mean that I went across the world to recruit people around my own age, but mostly older, to act in this and not place myself in it…Are you telling me that I was there and never met up with the guys of The Tribe! (hehehe)

Chapter Five: Dinner

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We are all born mad. Some remain so. - Samuel Beckett

Ved knew something happened to Cloe, and knew even more so that it was something he wasn't going to like. As long as he knew Cloe, she was headstrong and willing to fight for what she believed in. She didn't let stronger opponents scare her and if it came down to it, she would probably be willing to fight.

That was not the girl in his room.

Dinner was a large affair in the mansion, and somewhat formal. All the girls had on white dresses with black patterns or ribbons on it, and all the boys were dressed as he was - white shirts, black pants.

Glancing around the table, Ved figured he had to be near the youngest person sitting at it, though he wasn't quite sure about the one he was sitting across from…he looked a little younger than he was but he wasn't sure.

There were about fifty of them around the table, Ved couldn't get an exact head count because the talking of everyone at the table stopped. Ved wondered why but his question was answered soon enough.

'Miss Tea' came through the doors, wearing a blue gown that shown through all the other clothing in the room. Ved watched as she clapped her hands and a boy came in, dressed in blue like the older woman. He went over to the large chair at the head of the table an pulled it out, bowed to her and waited.

Miss Tea went to the seat and took a slightly long time in sitting down, but when she was seated as she wanted to be, she nodded and the boy pushed her chair up to the table. She looked back at him and nodded.

"You may leave now." She told him. He nodded and walked out of the room. She looked around at everyone at the table before clapping her hands happily again. Ved watched as more children came in, carrying platters and platters of food, depositing them all on the table somewhere. It took them a total of one minute to get all this done before leaving the room silently. Ved wondered what was wrong with them but didn't get much of a chance before Miss Tea began talking to everyone.

"Let's eat, shall we?"

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He watched as Ved sit at a table, writing something. He got closer to the younger boy and his mouth opened in shock at the tears coming down his brother's face. He tried to call out but it didn't work - Ved wasn't answering him. He watched as his brother kept writing on something. He looked at Ved's hands and winced as he saw the blood flowing from them. He tried to stop him but he couldn't, Ved just kept writing something with a quill and ink…since when did Ved write with quill and ink? He kept watching. After a while, Ved made a big blot on the paper - something he couldn't help but remember seeing. He saw Ved grab something - more ink, and pour it into the inkstand. What was happening here? He watched as Ved loaded a gun and began to point it at his head. He began to run forward, to stop Ved from what he was going to do to himself - his brother couldn't leave him like this! He couldn't!

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BANG!

Jay's eyes snapped open and he got out of the bed quickly in a cold sweat. He looked at the mumbling body of Ebony, making sure that he didn't wake her up. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before heading out of the room for a walk - Ebony stopped him.

"Jay…where are you going?" She mumbled quietly.

"Nowhere you need to know." he whispered. "Go back to sleep." She did as she was told - something he was extremely grateful for. He walked down the steps of the mall and stopped when he saw Amber sitting there, nursing a cup of what looked to be like tea, and a book beside her. She looked up at him and grinned, something he returned.

"You couldn't sleep either?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Depends. Would waking up from a nightmare count." Amber snorted.

"That's sort of ironic, isn't it? You wake from a nightmare…I wake from a dream." Her voice got slightly wistful before she looked away from Jay guiltily.

"Amber, what's wrong?" She looked as though she wasn't going to answer his question - something he knew was common, but she surprised him.

"Jay…do you think its bad if I…if I start looking at other men…romantically? Even though Bray is…-"

"-gone?" She nodded and he leaned back, thinking about it carefully for a minute.

"In my opinion," He started, "It's fine. He's been away for a long time - it's only natural that you start…looking again." He hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. He looked at her, trying to hide how stupid he felt. "Why do you ask?" She shook her head.

"I've been having so many dreams lately and they never stop. They're so strange…" He expected her to stop here, knowing she didn't like people knowing to much of her own business, but she didn't. He expected she was to tired to keep wearing the mask that she usually does. "Some are like I'm being unfaithful, others have me being in bed with the same person, sometimes I see Baby Bray in trouble, completely hopeless trouble, but then suddenly…_he _walks in and…Bray's okay again. Or when I'm kissing him is so perfect and-" She looked at him and looked away, embarrassed. Jay smiled at her, seeing that she was feeling as uncomfortable as she was. "Anyway…" She continued, she waved her hand at the book beside her. Jay took a look at the cover. Dreams and Their Meanings. He looked at Amber confused. "It's one of Taisan's books that's lying around." she gave as explanation. Though he never met her, Jay understood. He'd heard a little about her and this seemed to fit with everything else he'd heard.

"Well…what do your dreams say about this…mystery person?" He asked. She glared at her cup of tea for a moment before answering him.

"That…that it's a good thing. That there's good affection there, that's there is love, or a chance that there could be, but…" Jay asked her 'but what?', "…but if I did…it'd mean the end of the Mall Rats. The end of everything I'd ever worked for." She fell silent again before whispering. "The end of me." Jay shook his head.

"Who could do all of that to you?" He asked her. Amber stood up and shook her head.

"I told you to many of my problems already. I shouldn't have worried you with all of this. I'm sorry about all of that Jay." He shook his head at her answer.

"No…don't worry about it." He said. He watched as she picked up before pointing at the book. "Mind if I borrow that? Who knows, maybe I can figure out what my nightmares mean." He told her. She nodded and handed the book to him.

"You're going to want to give that back to me as soon as possible later. Lex will be hells on wheels if he even thinks something of Taisan's missing."

"I thought he has a good thing going with Siva…" Jay asked. Amber nodded in agreement.

"He does. I think it's more habit now than anything." Jay nodded.

"I'll get this to you bright and early then…Good night." Amber nodded to him.

"Good night."  
_-fin chapter-_


	8. Reading

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

A/N: Ugh - Deadlines suck

Disclaimer: HAHAHAHA.

Chapter Six: Reading

__

Truth is beautiful - without a doubt; but so are lies. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Cloe…you aren't bad." Ved said to her for what had to be the hundredth time that night. The girl in question was laying on his bed, curled into a little ball, both of them fully clothed, but lying close to each other.

The girl in question shuddered lightly but Ved saw her body begin to un-tense slowly and smiled, finally able to see that he was getting some progress.

"You aren't bad at all…" He whispered, trying to get her to believe it as much as he knew it. When he began, he had no idea why. It was pretty easy to see that she was pretty far gone, but it was just like when he began searching for her in the first place - because he needed to, and because there was a chance.

It took a few more mumbles of 'You're not bad, you're good' but he had Cloe slowly turning back to him and looking into his eyes.

"Really?" She whispered, she winced, as though expecting him to hit her but she cracked an eye open to see him smiling at her.

"Really. You're…you…you're good Cloe." She smiled at him and Ved felt his chest letting go of something he didn't know it was holding when she smiled at him like that. He leaned down, resisting the urge to kiss her on the lips again, and instead kissed her on the forehead.

"Y-You're good to, Ved." Cloe whispered to him, before wiggling closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Ved closed his eyes happily and squeezed her to him, happy he was making progress.

He was about to go to sleep when Cloe nudged him softly.

"Ved?" She whispered, making sure he was awake before she asked her question.

"What?" He asked, somewhat groggily, trying to stay awake.

"Are the others good, too?" She asked him. Ved woke up a little more at that question, but wasn't sure that he heard her correctly.

"Wait, what did you say?" He asked her, yawning slightly.

"Are the others good, too?" She asked him again.

"Who-What others?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. Ved decided to take this as a good sign instead of an insult - _his _Cloe was shining through.

"The other bad children."

Jay was sitting on his bed beside Ebony silently as he turned the pages of the dream dictionary. He was able to grab a notepad and a pen from somewhere and began looking for the meaning of his dream.

If nothing else, it would show him that he was probably just worrying about Ved to much. His brother made his choice and that was that…

Jay swallowed and shook his head as his mother's voice entered his skull. _You're the oldest Jay…_ She had said to him on her deathbed, _I want you to take care of him, please. He…he doesn't know what he needs. But…_She smiled sadly, _neither do you, do you sweetie? Who knows… But I do know that you need him. He's not a man yet, Jay, and I know that you aren't either but, please…help him. Please…_

His mother was strange, and she had light brown hair, the same as he and his brother did underneath all of that peroxide blond dye-

Jay stopped thinking for a moment before trying to shake his head of his memories before the epidemic. Thinking of his mother wouldn't help him with figuring out what was going on with Ved.

He looked down at what he had on the pad of paper so far, which looked something like this;

**__**

Writing (reading someone else's and seeing someone else do it) -

Tears -

Blood on Hands -

Quill and Ink -

Blot on Paper -

Ink poured into Ink Stand -

Gun -

He was beginning to feel nervous as he turned to the end of the book, looking for 'writing'. He swallowed nervously as he began to write down a shorter version of what it said.

****

Reading handwriting means deception in the group with someone I trust. Seeing Ved write means I can be my 'own best friend' by not letting others influence me.

He shook his head at that, and turned to tears quickly, his body feeling better for some reason, now that he was looking up his dreams. He shook his head at that thought, knowing that if Ebony woke up to see him doing this, she'd make him feel like an idiot.

When he got to tears, rolled his eyes and did as the book told him too Tear(s). See Cry.

He didn't roll his eyes though when he saw what Ved's tears meant.

****

He's in distress. I should do something about it…?

The book was confusing him, but he wrote down what it told him to. He winced as he looked at the next one on his list, scared to death of what it might show him. When he saw what it meant, he wondered if it was as bad as it seemed.

****

Be prepared for hard work.

He wrote down, looking confused. Quill and ink were next. He looked up just 'Ink' but it didn't matter. Quill and in, the blot on the paper, and the ink into inkstand were all covered in this one.

****

Period of sadness is coming up, might be betrayed by a friend in the future, be sure only to 'whisper secrets in trustworthy ears', and unexpected travel.

He shook his head in wonder. _What are you up to, Ved?_ he thought to himself, trying to prolong the fact that he needed to look up the weapon that Ved used on himself in the dream…the gun.

Sighing, Jay finally began to slowly turn the pages, worried about what it was he was going to read. He read the definition quickly, and then began to write.

****

Injustice to someone close to me, I have to fight for them. Be warned of tempers, don't give way to them.

Jay put down the list and studied it silently before getting out of his bed, this time waking Ebony up completely.

"Jay," She said sleepily, "What the hell are you doing?" She asked, cranky that he woke her up.

"I'm going to find, Ved." He told her, "Go back to sleep."

And she did.

__

fin chapter-


	9. The Bad Children

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

A/N: This is kind of a short chapter, sorry!

Disclaimer: sighs I'm trying but its not working!

Chapter Seven: The Bad Children

__

Doubt whom you will, but never yourself. - Christine Bovee

If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. - Rene Descartes

Cloe told Ved about the bad children and what she told him, he could barely believe. She wasn't the only one taught to be like this? That there were as many 'bad' children in this mansion as there was 'good'? That every 'good' child had a 'bad' child to tell what to do and they are actually expected to do it?

"That's right." Cloe said, after Ved had repeated all of this to her to make sure that he had everything straight. He brought one of his hands up to rest on his forehead while the other one rested on his hip.

"That's just…to much information." He said, looking amazed. He turned to her, "Why didn't I see any children but the 'good' children when I came here?" He asked. Cloe just shrugged.

"During the day, the bad children had to work. Chopping wood, making food, adding to the house…and…other things." Cloe winced and Ved took a step closer to her and was happy that she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Some of the people here have to do things that they really don't want to do, but they have to." She told him, holding him even tighter.

"What do they have to do, Cloe?" He asked her. She tensed slightly before taking a step back to look at him.

"One of the Bad girls, Bree, she...she was raped. And so are a lot of the others." She winced when Ved grabbed her shoulders and ducked down to her height, looking her straight in the eyes.

"You weren't, were you Cloe? I swear if someone even thought of-" Before he could say anything else, Cloe wiggled her way out of his grasp and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I was never raped, Ved, and I've never been with anyone here. You're the first 'master' I've ever had." Her voice got mocking, but Ved knew it wasn't at him, more at the mansion itself.

"This is unreal…" Ved said to himself silently, wrapping his arms around Cloe tightly and holding her to his chest. She hugged him back.

"You better believe it. This hell hole is just that. Hell." Cloe whispered to him. He squeezed her softly and she squeezed back.

"Jay, are you completely and totally insane?" Ebony practically screamed at him. Jay winced but mostly just ignored her. He threw some more clothes into a bag before closing it and throwing it over his shoulder.

"I'm going to find my brother, Ebony." He said as monotone as he could. Ebony just glared at him.

"Why are you going to find him?" She asked. Jay looked at her as though he could barely believe what she had just said to him.

"Why am I going to find him? How about because I love him and I want to know how my brother is?" He asked her, not really wanting an answering. Before she could say anything else, he was out of the building and running in full Techno gear and coat to Techno Headquarters. If there was anybody that could give him even the slightest clue as the where Ved was, they'd be there.

"We have to do something, Cloe." Ved told her. She was lying on the floor beside him, with her knees tucked under her chin. Ved was on the other side of the room, pacing.

She took in a deep breath before talking. "What can we do Ved? You're not allowed to leave, so you can't tell anyone-" Ved turned to look at her, surprised.

"What do you mean, 'you're not allowed to leave'?" He asked. Cloe looked up at him and shrugged.

"Didn't you know that?" Ved shook his head. "Oh… well. You're not. Some Bad children tried to leave once, or some I'm told, this is something Bree told me, but she said some Bad children tried to leave but they were all caught and locked up in the basement of the mansion." Ved's mouth dropped open before shaking his head quickly.

"There's no way that…there isn't…" Ved looked around, trying to see if there was an answer floating around somewhere but when he ended up angry, he turned to look at Cloe again. "In the basement?" She nodded. "and I'm not allowed to leave?" She nodded again. He was silent for a moment, thinking, and then, "How far does the property go?" She shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but it's actually pretty large. Why?" Ved blinked, his mind moving quickly, to quickly for him to give Cloe an answer in words so he just stayed silent until he could come up with one.

"Cloe…you wouldn't happen to know if there are any computers here, would you?" He asked her.

"Jay, Jay, Jay…what a surprise to see you here." Ram said with a sickly sweet smile on his face as he rolled over. Jay glared at him.

"I need answers, Ram." Ram raised an eyebrow and grinned at Jay again.

"For answers, I need questions." Jay did his best to deal with Ram's answer. He hated the way Ram seemed to know everything and even if he didn't he could still find a way to be right.

"I'm looking for my brother." Ram gave his answer immediately.

"He's not here."

"I know he's not."

"Then why are you here?"

"I need answers."  
"To what?" Ram stated. Jay took in a deep breath.

"Is my brother dead?" He asked Ram. Ram, beforehand, had a smug, cocky look on his face, now had one with seriousness and a slight bit of worry.

"I…I don't know." Jay's eyebrows were went up with that statement.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know', how can you not know?" Jay screamed at him Ram winced.

"I don't know, alright? Some people said he was deleted, but it makes no sense." Jay blinked.

"Why wouldn't it make sense?" Jay asked. Ram shrugged.

"Because I never ordered it."

Fin chapter


	10. Study Time

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

A/N: Trying to write some more…

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Chapter Eight: Study Time

If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. -Almost everyone in the world.

* * *

Jay blinked a few times and then brought one of his hands up to his face, covering it partially before groaning.

"What the hell is happening?" He moaned out. Ram stayed silent and watched him closely.

"Do you…believe that Ved was truly deleted, Jay?"

Jay usually prided himself on well he could keep information hidden, on how he could hide tough issues and tell everyone only little things to tide themselves over, shielding them from the truth, he was so good at it.

He couldn't even stop talking long enough to mentally slap himself.

"I don't know Ram, I've been getting these dreams lately and they're all so…so…" He paused, before speaking again, "I know you don't really believe in prophetic dreams, or anything like that Ram, but the dream I had…it was so vivid and all the signs in it were so perfectly clear in their meaning and I…" Jay shut up quickly when he realized how he was talking and who he was talking to. Ram watched, somewhat amused, as Jay's face went from worry and panic filled, to emotionless in seconds. He never learned that skill, he never needed it. He was a good actor, a good liar, but Jay couldn't lie if his life depended on it.

"I want to find Ved." Jay finished plainly, a slight glare in his eyes as he looked at Ram. "And I want help." Ram could only raise an eyebrow to this.

* * *

Ved was walking aimlessly around the mansion. He told Cloe to stay in their room and write a list of things that was different from this place than the City. He hoped that when she was done, he'd have a fairly accurate documentary type thing to learn about this place from, and to make Cloe's mind come back a little stronger.

He was looking at one of the many paintings in the hallway when he felt a small clap on his shoulder followed by a small giggle. He couldn't help but groan lightly before turning to see Allison grinning up at him.

"Hey there, cutie. Bored with this place already?" She asked, her smile huge. He shrugged.

"I wouldn't say I'm bored with this place, but I haven't seen many things to do yet…" He said. She nodded and motioned for him to follow her.

"I think that there's something very interesting that you're going to want to check out over here…" Ved didn't know whether or not he was lucky enough to notice the look in her eyes but he decided that it was time to part company with her.

"I…have to go back to my rooms." He said quickly, momentarily enjoying the disappointment on her face. "I…um…have to keep training Cloe…You saw her the other day. I've got quite a bit of work to do." Allison nodded in understanding.

"I'm so horribly sorry that she wasn't trained to where she should've been when you got here. You must think we're horrid people, making you do most of the work… not training her for you." Suddenly, Allison's eyes lit up. "I know!" She said happily. "I can help you train her! I can bring in my bad child and we can see if that sort of thing helps!" She clapped her hands giddily. "Isn't that a wonderful idea." Ved really wanted to hit her…

…but he didn't.

He took a deep breath and smiled back at her though.

"It is a great idea. But I think we should wait for another time. We don't want to jump these things on her to quickly or our progress will just be slowed down." She nodded again, encouraging him.

"Oh, you'll be such a good child! You'll teach that bad one to be right." She sighed before walking away and giving him a small finger wave. "Tell me when you want me!" She giggled again, "or need me."

When she was out of his sight, he practically bolted back to his room.

* * *

It was later in the evening when Cloe handed him a piece of paper. Ved looked at Cloe, then the sheet, than Cloe again.

"Whats this?" She rolled her eyes at him and he couldn't help but still be happy to see it.

"It's that thing you told me to write. She whispered, the differences between this place and the City." Ved didn't wait to hear anymore. He opened the paper and began to read.

**__**

The Mansion Vs. The City

By Cloe

The City

The Mansion

Destiny is yours to control, if you are smart enough to run from those who try to control it for you. In the mansion, you have nowhere to run.

You are surrounded by people who think of you as an equal, and even if they don't, that doesn't mean that something horrible or evil will happen to you if you get in their way, most of the time. You are a slave here.

Interaction is constantly happening, people are constantly falling in and out of love. Here, there is only lust.

Anyone, if you're able, can rise to the top. Only the chosen will become anything of interest.

The 'bad children' are usually cruel and doing horrible things to other people. Here, they are meant to lick the good childrens boots.

In the mansion, you have nowhere to run.You are a slave here.Here, there is only lust.Only the chosen will become anything of interest.Here, they are meant to lick the good childrens boots. 

Ved was about to read on when someone knocked on his door.

"Ved?" It was Allison. "We're having dinner out on the lawn tonight. It's required you bring your bad child. Miss Tea wanted to know if she was good enough to come outside.

Ved mulled over this for a moment before opening his mouth to tell the girl outside that he was sick and would be unable to go to dinner when Cloe put her hand over his mouth. He looked at her confused.

"You'll learn more this way." She mouthed. "You'll learn more, when you see them, as they truly are." Ved nodded slowly and Cloe removed her hand.

"Allison?"

"Yes?"  
"I believe I'll be on the lawn tonight, with a bad child of my own." He heard the girl squeal through the door and he chuckled at Cloe's look of surprise.

"She's just…" Cloe began but then shut her mouth tightly. Ved frowned at this. Usually Cloe would insult someone who pissed her off in a second flat and not care if they heard or not, but here…here was different.

"I've still got quite a bit of work to do…" Ved sighed, raking a hand through his blond hair. "Quite a bit."

fin chapter-


	11. Lawn Party

Finding Cloe

Beaner-Bop

Disclaimer: Have I ever owned it?

Chapter Nine: Lawn Party

_Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller_

If Ved remembered correctly, the lawn looked decorated as though someone had just gotten married. All the chairs were white, five seats to a table, which were also white, with large white umbrellas in the middle of each. White ribbons and flowers were strewn about everywhere along with a few white balloons. Ved blinked in surprise at everything, wondering where they got all the decorations, but then shook his head, knowing that that wasn't important.

He felt a nudge on his back and he turned to look at Cloe. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she was wearing a black t-shirt and slacks. He on the other hand was wearing a white dress shirt and tan dress pants. She nodded her head over to one of the tables (there were about ten or eleven) and he finally noticed that Allison was trying to get his attention. He looked back at Cloe and she nodded slightly, so no one else would be able to tell she was doing it. Ved began to walk over there, Cloe waiting a moment and then following behind him.

"Ved! How are you?" Allison jumped up out of her seat and ran over to him, giving him a hug. Ved hugged her back and could practically feel the glare that Cloe was sending to Allison.

"I'm fine. Last I checked, you saw me an hour or so ago." He joked lightly, not knowing what else to say. There were all ready three other people at the table, including Allison. One a boy, and one a girl. The boy was glaring at him harshly and didn't try to hide it.

"You're so silly, Ved." Allison laughed out, sitting back down herself. It wasn't until just a moment or two afterwards that Ved noticed where all their 'bad children' were. They were all kneeling down beside whoever the were partnered with, not being allowed to sit at the table. Ved looked to his left and noticed Cloe was already doing that.

"Alli, aren't you going to introduce us?" The other boy at the table said after a few moments of silence. Alli grinned at him and took her cue.

"Of course! My manners are just horrible lately. Ved, this Marcy and David. David, Marcy, this is Ved." She turned to them and shook her head sadly. "He got that latest bad child. It's so horrible! He's had to do most of the training." She turned back to Ved. "May I congratulate you Ved? You've done such a superb job so far with this girl, and we're all very impressed." Allison said, placing her hand over top of his. Ved raised a corner of his mouth for a moment, only being able to fake that much of his thanks.

Ram leaned back and stared at Jay thinking over his proposal. He backed away from him and opened the laptop that was in front of him and starting typing. What he was typing he didn't let Jay in on for a while.

"I'm guessing you're wanting a back-up team." Ram said casually as he kept typing on the laptop. Jay nodded. Ram let some air out of his mouth and kept on typing. "I only have a handful of people who can help…" Ram said. Jay was standing straighter and started talking before Ram had all of that out of his mouth.

"That's all I need." Jay said. Ram looked at him and raised an eyebrow at this.

"No equipment?" Jay looked down, embarrassed.

"Some equipment would be nice to…" But then his head raised as he reminded himself that Ram wasn't really his 'friend'. "What do I have to do for you?" Jay asked suspiciously. He waited for Ram to go into that act of his of looking innocent and doing his 'Who, me?' charade, but he never did.

"Nothing except…" Ram closed his eyes and brought his hand to his forehead, rubbing it harshly, as though he was making a decision he was sure he was going to regret.

"Except what?" Jay asked, getting nervous but having a feeling for once since he really _knew_ Ram, that he could trust him.

"Take me with you guys."

The lawn party proceeded with a game of croquet, small sandwiches with toothpicks in them with lemonade. It all reminded Ved of a fancy wedding reception party and he wanted to bolt, just like he did when his parents took him to a function like this. Ved stopped for a moment and blinked.

For over three years, he never thought of his parents until that moment and it hit him like déjà vu. He was reminded that they were still apart of him, and all he could think was what would they think of him now.

He felt someone's hand on his shoulder and he turned to see David who was giving him a glare that could melt glass.

"Don't you go near Alli, you got that new boy? You go near her, and you're a bad boy before I can spit." David left with a smile on his face and Ved was very confused and slightly worried. He felt someone touch his hand but he new instantly that he had to look down. Cloe nodded and Ved knew that she was warning him to heed the boy. Ved hardly needed any help from anyone to figure that one out though.

Jay ran into the mall and nearly knocked Amber down and an angry Ebony stood a few feet away.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ebony crossed her arms and glared at him. Jay sighed and shut his eyes tightly, not in the mood for her.

"I was getting leads on Ved." He said, walking away. Ebony didn't like that at all.

"So, what? You just up and leave? Without telling me?" She was following right behind him as Amber stared at them and shook her head distractedly. Trudy walked in then and looked at Amber and immediately started in on her well-being.

Meanwhile, Ebony and Jay were still arguing.

"You could have left a note." She yelled at him. Jay winced and grabbed a duffel bag and went over to the chest where he kept his clothes and started pulling things out. For the moment, Ebony didn't notice this.

"I told you already, Ebony, I told you what I was doing." He stated as calmly as he could. He folded a pair of pants quickly and put them into the duffel. Ebony just huffed angrily.

"I don't get it. Why would you even care about the little twerp?" This made Jay's entire body freeze, which in turn made Ebony's do the same thing.

"What did you say?" He whispered. Ebony knew she had just skated onto thin ice and tried to back up.

"I didn't," She said, but before she could finish, Jay was glaring her down.

"You didn't…what? Think of my feelings? Use your brains? Use that piece of coal you have as a heart?" He whispered quietly. Ebony blinked at his tone and backed up a step which made Jay advance a step. "What did you not do, Ebony?" He asked slowly. She swallowed and looked away.

"I don't have to be treated like this. I _shouldn't_ be treated like this."

Jay snorted.

"Then leave." And he watched her do just that.

_-fin chapter-_

A/N: This isn't going to be Jay/Amber so don't get to excited. As I was writing I realized it was going that way and…it's not gonna happen.


End file.
